This article serves as an FAQ guide to Axial’s Member Rating system.
What are Member Ratings?
Member Ratings are a feature on the Axial platform that allows members who have interacted in the context of a deal to provide ratings of the other party based on the quality of their interactions.
The ratings you provide will:
- Give you a quick frame of reference the next time you have a chance to connect with that member
- Factor into aggregate ratings, which will allow you to form insights on other members before you’ve even had a single correspondence. (Aggregate ratings will only display for members who either have a rating above 4 stars, or have been rated by at least 5 other members, to minimize the impact of outlier ratings).
Axial prides itself on the high quality of the members in our network, and on their high standards for interaction on the platform. When you make a connection on Axial, you deserve to be well-informed about what to expect from that member, not based on our assessment, but based on the consensus of the broader community of Axial members. The Member Rating system allows you to express how your experience went working with another member, whether it was great, or… less-than-great.
What do ratings on Axial represent?
Member Ratings are designed to capture data about quality of interaction between members, because great professionalism deserves to be recognized and rewarded. Ratings are not intended to be judgments on “deal quality” or” level of fit” between a given mandate and a given deal.
How can I earn a great rating?
Here are some behaviors that members appreciate and will lead you to a great Member Rating:
- Prompt & consistent replies (no “ghosting”!)
- Excellent follow-through (with NDAs, the CIM, more info when requested)
- Courtesy in your communications with other members
- Accuracy & honesty in how you present information
How can I submit a rating on another member?
Ratings are submitted via a clickable, 5-star component, which can be found on the Active Deals page for buyside members, and the Contacted Targets page for sellside members.
Who can rate me?
For the sellside, members at firms who are actively pursuing a deal you’ve sent them are able to rate how their experience working with you has been. No one else can submit a rating about their interactions with you at this point.
For the buyside, members on the sellside who’ve sent you an opportunity are able to rate how their experience working with you has been. No one else can submit any ratings about their interactions with you at this point.
Who can see my rating? How does my Member Rating appear to them?
For the sellside, members on the buyside can see your Member Rating whenever you share a deal with them. No one else can see your Member Rating; not others at your firm, not other sellside members, not buyside members you choose not to engage, etc.
For the buyside, members on the sellside can see your Member Rating when we recommend you to them as a potential investor. No one else can see your Member Rating; not others at your firm, not other buyside members, etc.
If I rate someone, will they be able to trace it back to me?
Ratings are anonymous, and always will be, so other members won’t be able to piece together where a given rating came from.
Members can see their own Member Ratings in average form as long as the rating is publishable. This means that by the time a member can see their own rating, it’s either a high rating, or there will have been enough ratings submitted on them that any additional ratings will be a drop in the bucket & essentially impossible to trace to any one interaction.
How can I see my own rating?
As long as you have at least a 4 star Member Rating, or 5 different members have contributed to your rating, you will be able to see the average score on your Axial Homepage.
I rated someone X out of 5 stars: can I change my mind later?
Yes! You can change your rating at any time. The system only looks at the latest rating you’ve left for a given person when calculating their average.
Can I sort or filter by ratings?
Not yet, but if that’s something you’d like to be able to do, please let us know!
I see I can leave private feedback: how does that work?
After you’ve submitted a Member Rating, you can send private feedback to the team at Axial to help us understand why you rated them that way, good or bad.